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Tuesday, 21 October 2008

CLOCK number six has been drawn from the hat, and with it a hand of tarot cards. This commission was a little bit of magic for Allegra Smith who asked for a clock with sprinklings of gypsies, of tarot cards and Egyptians, and a suspicion of a well loved cat.I had a deck of tarot cards when I was young but have never known a great deal about the history and meanings behind the tarot, so for this clock I read a little and learned of the history of the iconography and significances. The early tarot decks are delightful, mostly woodblock printed and hand coloured. For more delvings into the history of these 78 images, I recommend this excellent tarot history site.

As this is to be a gift from Allegra to her beloved, a gift of time for someone whose time may be short, I chose the ace of coins for an important or valuable gift, the hermit for time and triumph over it, and the star for hope and rejuvenation. I hope that this little painted "spell" will wend its way over the ocean and be enjoyed by the recipients. The cat is a sphinxy version of their own cat, and time ticks around the Egyptian coin and over a broken palette of ochre-sand and azure sea-browns.

I so enjoyed my explorations into the history of the tarot that I am inspired to illustrate a whole deck. I like symbolic imagery with a central figure and text surrounding it; I like the characters that appear amongst the cards: Hermit, Fool, Magician; and I like collections of symbols: zodiacs, alphabets, calendars... This, of course, will be a job for another day.. another year!

37 comments:

Another WOW! Rima I think you were made to illustrate the Tarot. I'm surprised you haven't had 'dealings with it before! I have a pack I bought many years ago and used to regularly read them (for myself). I couldn't remember anything now, but I've always loved the images.x

i have used my tarot deck personallyfor...20 yrs?its time for a new deck, but now i shall wait for yours! this clock is another example of the thought that goes into your work. i know how fun it can be to get the beginning of an idea and then run with it and make it your own, and you have done that here, i am quite sure, to the satisfaction of its possessor.blessed be....

I wish some of the magic you create was mine to wish - and for it to come true - that all the happiness you bring to those fortunate enough to hold a piece of your art return to you twentyfold.

Thank you, dear Rima. It would be treasured for the art that it is, for the spirit of its meaning,for the beauty of its representation, but above all, because you created it. Words are woefully inadequate to express my gratitude but lacking your magic, they will have to do.

Rima, you never cease to amaze me....what a gift this clock will be....it brought me to tear a bit, knowing the clock will be in one's hands who's time may be short...again, what a gift for that person to cherish and who knows...there may be some magic in those cards....they are magical indeed....and your home looks so lovely and cosy...what a world you create in and create. thank you for your constant inspiration...what a gift.

Oh, this is gorgeous. I hope you do get to explore tarot artistically some day; I think you'd enjoy it very much. You may find this artist's blog inspiring:http://gaiantarot.typepad.com/artists_journal/Joanna offers excellent meditations on each card, not to mention some gorgeous illustrations. I think her last post specific to tarot was Sept 28; it's been a treat to watch her work through an entire deck, to say the least! (You can also treat yourself to a mini-reading and peruse the entire deck in the menus to the right.) Enjoy!

Another beautiful clock Rima, and how wonderful that it is to being bought to be given as a present. I can only imagine just how magical it would be to receive such a lovely gift! I have several packs of Tarot, I too think they are fascinating, the illustrations mystical and mysterious and inspiring. Each one of your gorgeous clocks are such wonderous works of art!

oh, rima, i LOVE it!!!!! it was delivered while i was away for my birthday, on saturday, and they finally brought it to me from the post office yesterday. it is wonderful! i had to laugh at how carefully it was wrapped, and felt like i was breaking into a bank. i commend you for the way you wrapped those delicate clock hands...it is now hanging on my studio wall, where i will know what time the magic happens to be. thank you so much for such a beautiful piece of artwork, for taking the time to make it so special and so mine.here is a link to what i just wrote in my blog: http://ornamental.typepad.com/ornamental/2008/10/time-on-the-wall.html

I use the Druid Tarot deck which I think is quite a nicely painted deck. The cards have given up on me a bit of late as I keep asking the same questions and they got fed up with having to give me the same answers:¬)

I did struggle to find a deck I liked and there is a whole load of them out there. Anne Marie Ferguson's deck looks ok but there's nothing like your evocative style of painting. I would be at the front of the queue to buy a set of cards illustrated by you. But 78 cards is a whole lot of work.

Beautiful as always Rima, though I do prefer the less regular pieces of wood you've used in the previous clocks. I love the cat in Egyptian mode! Do do make a set of Tarot cards, they could only be one thing - wonderful!

"I like symbolic imagery with a central figure and text surrounding it; I like the characters that appear amongst the cards: Hermit, Fool, Magician; and I like collections of symbols: zodiacs, alphabets, calendars"

Yes, me too... all those pictures that have meanings of their own. I always loved the idea of the alphabet being a code.

I would love a Rima Tarot having used my own Rider-Waite deck for a long time. Your own take on the images would be interesting... and would you paint them like these or make woodblock prints?

I have just discovered your amazing artworks through Etsy and I must say that I may be in love. The colors and imaginative designs led me scanning through your blog like a hound after a new scent! Absolutely amazing! I look forward to regular perusing of your new works. ^__^

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon your site (sight, maybe better word) but I adore it. I visit often, feeling each time like I have fallen down a tunnel, made by an industrious ground-dwelling animal, and into the busy but hidden world of the fairy beings. I am not a woman of vision and I thank you so much for helping me to see this otherly realm. And I'm commenting at this post because like all the above I would so love to see you make a tarot deck. Cheers - Baxter Clare Trautman

About Me

Rima Staines is an artist using paint, wood, word, music, animation, clock-making, puppetry & story to attempt to build a gate through the hedge that grows along the boundary between this world & that. Her gate-building has been a lifelong pursuit, & she hopes to have perhaps propped aside even one spiked loop of bramble (leaving a chink just big enough for a mud-kneeling, trusting eye to glimpse the beauty there beyond), before she goes through herself.

Always stubborn about living the things that make her heart sing, Rima lives with her partner Tom and their young son in Hedgespoken - an offgrid home and travelling theatre built on a vintage Bedford RL truck.

Rima’s inspirations include the world & language of folktale; faces of people who pass her on the street; folk music & art of Old Europe & beyond; peasant & nomadic living; magics of every feather; wilderness & plant-lore; the margins of thought, experience, community & spirituality; & the beauty in otherness.

Crumbs fall from Rima’s threadbare coat pockets as she travels, & can be found collected here, where you may join the caravan.